Signal device



July 4, 1939. L. RITTENHOUSE SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Oct. 12, 1938 INVENTOR.

, loyz/ [95.225511 house MA z'sATTORNEY Patented July 4, 1939 I 2,164,839

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGNAL DEVICE Lloyd Rittenhouse, Honeoye Falls, N. Y., assignor to The A. E. Bittenhouse 00., Inc., Honeoye Falls, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 12, 1938, Serial No. 234,643

3 Claims. (Cl. 116-149) This invention .relates to a signal device, with units 5 and-6 respectively, as usual in this type more particular reference to the type of appa of signal. ratus employed as a door chime in dwellings, al- Arranged for cooperation with the chime bars though equally adaptable to other purposes 3 and l are resonance chambers I and 8 formed 5 where an audible signal is to be given, and it in the housings 9 and it, which are positioned 6 has for its object to ailord a simple, practical, in parallelism with the chime bars. The housand economical design that will aflordpleasing ings 9 and II! are mounted on the supporting tones, and is especially useful with a, two-tone plate 2 by means of the attaching devices H, chime. with their upper ends in juxtarelation to the 10 In a more specific aspect, the invention has electric striker operating unit 5, this arrange- 10 to do with the type of construction in which ment permitting the lower portions of the chime a housing containing a resonance chamber, and bars to be mounted on the housings. a chime bar, are mounted on a supporting plate The chime bars 3 and 4 have their upper porin parallel arrangement, together with striker tions mounted on brackets l2 and I3 which in perating mechanism, and has for its purpose turn are secured to the supporting plate 2, while 15 to afiord a structure in which these parts are the lower portions of the chime bars are attached compactly and securely arranged, and a chime to the upper ends of the housings 9 and I ll by I bar may be employed that is of considerably less means of suitable attaching devices it and I5, length than heretofore used in such devices. thus eliminating the necessity of additional Another object of the invention is to aflford a brackets on the supporting plate for the lower 20 superior arrangement for mounting a chime bar portions of the chime bars. and housing on a supporting plate, providing Heretofore in structures of this character, the a rigid, compact, and economical construction chime bar has extended beyond its lower point that also ves pleasing tone quality. of attachment to the supporting plate a distance To these and other ends, the invention consists somew at greater than the distance between its 25 in the construction and arrangement of parts tWO Points Of attachment, enabling e g the that will appear from the following description opening in the resonance chamber midway bewhen read in conjunction with the accompanytween two nodal points of the chime ing drawin s, th novel features being pointed In prior structures the chime bar has extended out in the claims following the specification. enough beyondits PP of attmhmem'f m In the drawing: provide a third nodal point, but in the present Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a signal d i construction, the chime bars are shortened and incorporating one embodiment of th invention; the resonance chamber housings positioned high- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the or, aflfording a more compact and economical deresonance chamber housings, w th the top cover si i t a e tin t e qu y of tone of 35 plate removed and showing the remaining parts e Chime barsin front elevation; I This is illustrated in Fig. 5 where e and f in- Fig. 3 is a side elevation of ,the parts appeardicate the two points oi. attachment or the chime ing in Fig. 2, and bar to the supporting plate, or to the supporting Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the relation plate d esonan e c be ous t chime between the chime bar and resonance chamber bar extePding but short distance below l nodal point 1 or lower point of attachment, while housing of the present invention. i h The structure shown, which is intended only g g gssggiz i gs g g z g zfig f fi an 5 emmdiment immediately beneath the nodal point r and bee invention, includes aremovable top cover tween it and the end of the bar, the upper end plate that is detachably assocmted with of the resonance chamber housing being located supporting plate Z-which is secured to any suitsomewhat above the nodal point able wall or foundation, as usual in this class of Refemng to F1 2 l5 designates the openings apparatusin the resonance chambers, opposite the lower 50 The invention is illustrated as applied to portions of the chime bars 3 and 4 which extwo-tone or two-chime signal, including chime t slightly b 1 w th points of attachment ll bars 3 and 4 mounted edgewise 0n the supportand I5 where they are mounted on the housings. ing plate 2 and arranged to be oper by suit- With this arrangement, the chime bars extend 56 able electrically actuated striker mechanism belowtheir lower points of attachment and above 66 their upper points oi attachment similar short distances, while the upper ends of the resonance chamber housings are located above the lower points of attachment of the chime bars and in juxtarelation to the striker operating mechanism. This arrangement permits the use of a chime bar of considerably less length than heretofore, and affords a more compact and economical way of locating and securing the chime bars and housings on the supporting plate.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiment disclosed herein, it is not confined to this exact design, and the application is intended to cover such turther modifications or departures as may come within the purposes of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a signal device, the combination with a supporting plate, of a chime bar mounted thereon and having only two nodal points, the chime bar being attached at such nodal points and extending beyond said points of attachment less than half. the distance between said points of attachment, and a housing mounted on the plate and embodying a resonance chamber, said housing being arranged parallel to the chime bar, and the resonance chamber having an opening located opposite the portion of the chime bar between one end and the nodal point nearest to that end.

2. In a signal device, the combination with a supporting plate and a housing secured to the supporting plate and embodying a resonance chamber, 01' a chime bar attached to the plate and to said housing, the chime bar extending slightly beyond its points of attachment and the resonance chamber having an opening located opposite the portion of the chime bar between one end and the nodal point nearest to that end.

3. In a. signal device, the combination with a supporting plate and striker mechanism secured thereon, of a housing embodying a resonance chamber secured to the supporting plate with one end adjacent to said striker mechanism, and a chime bar attached to said supporting plate and to saidhousing at two points and extending beyond said points of attachment less than half the distance between them-said resonance chamber having an opening located opposite the portion of the chime bar between one end and the nodal point nearest to that end.

LLOYD RI'I'I'ENHOUSE. 

